BC

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A downed plane lies on a Pitt River, B.C. beach in a photo released by the Canadian Forces on Friday Aug. 10, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Canadian Forces

A fuel leak forced the pilot of a small plane to make an emergency landing along the rocky shore of a B.C. river Thursday, and while the impact ripped off the plane's landing gear, the two men inside were not hurt.

The pilot and his passenger were flying from Pitt Meadows, B.C., to Squamish when a smell in the cabin alerted them to a fuel leak.

Losing fuel rapidly, the pilot managed to put the plane down on the shore of the Pitt River.

The men activated emergency beacons which were relayed to the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria.

A Cormorant helicopter from CFB Comox was sent to the site, where the men had already set a fire in preparation for spending the night.

Cormorant Cpt. Jean Leroux says the men were very glad to see their rescuers, who flew them to the airport in Squamish.